A Mixed Bag Of A Week

I've been sitting here for a while trying to figure out what I wanna write about. I've been through several opening drafts, but none of them were useful.

Three young hostages were released from Gaza yesterday. They are the first of 33 to ultimately to released. 

 Emily Damari, Doron Steinbrecher and Romi Gonan
 photos released by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum 

Emily Damari, 28, was taken from her home at Kibbutz Kfar Aza. She was shot in the hand...and lost two fingers. She was also shot in the leg. She was bound and then tossed into her own car when she was taken. And just so everyone knows they're equal opportunity monsters,  they shot her dog as well. 

Doron Steinbrecher, 31, a veterinary nurse, was in her apartment on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. She was able to leave a message for her family before she was taken:

They've arrived, they have me.

 

Romi Gonen, 24, was at the Nova Festival. She called her mother from the car as she and others were fleeing. They were caught in the traffic jam. Her mother could hear them screaming as they tried to escape. 

They shot me, Mom and I’m bleeding...Everyone in the car is bleeding.

The release of the hostages was well choreographed for video release. The screaming mobs were attacking the vehicles as they moved through crowds. Highlights included the mob trying to grab the girls as they transferred to the International Red Cross transports. The guns waving, the masked and hooded goons filled the street. Funny thing about those suffering Palestinians....everyone looked really healthy and well fed for a population experiencing "genocide and starvation" at the hands of the Israelis.Usually, people who are starved and being killed off don't look so robust, but these guys look positively in tiptop shape. 

photo released by Hamas.

And let's not forget about the swag bags the hostages were handed as they got into the Red Cross van.According to a family member, the bag held a necklace, some photos of their time in captivity (according to Israeli media,) and a certificate that read in Hebrew and Arabic: Release decision.

I guess that's to frame and hang on the wall. Souvenirs to remember the fun experience of a lifetime? Notice the gun on the Qassam Brigade log. 

Is this supposed to make everyone feel better? Like they got consolation prizes? Really?

So in exchange for those swag bags, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners. Not everyone is thrilled with this skewed reciprocity since many of the prisoners to be released during the cessation of hostilities are somewhat likely to be terrorists. Those prisoners will return to Gaza and the West Bank and you know damn well they are not "reformed." Has Israel unleashed a new wave of terror on itself? This is not an uncommon thought. 

But...and isn't there always a but? This is the difference between us and them. Israelis will do what they have to do to get the hostages back. That includes DEAD hostages. They need to come home to be buried, to bring closure to their families, to end the waiting. And here's another fine kicker for the event: Hamas and its subgroups aren't quite sure where the hostages, dead or alive, are to be found. And like so many others, I cannot stop thinking about the Bibas family. 

Those two red-headed boys. What happened to them? One report said they were dead. Another said Shiri was with them. A third said baby Kfir was given to a Palestinian family. No one knows the truth, and so far, Hamas doesn't seem to know either. I suspect they are all dead, but I don't want to believe that.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Feckless Felon is now President Felon, the first to occupy the oval office. Before he turned off the lights, President Biden pre-empted what was rumored to be coming down the road, by pardoning his own family members and granting clemency for Gen. Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci and the members of Congress who served on the January 6, 2021 investigation for the attack on the Capitol. Pardoning your own family may not be the best possible optic but all things considered......

President Felon has already pardoned the attackers, including Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio.

This is not as unusual as it sounds. Confederate officers and soldiers were pardoned by Lincoln's successor, Andrew Johnson, who also restored their property and voting rights. This was part of the process to reunite the two halves of the country. JImmy Carter pardoned those who dodged the Vietnam era draft. 

Somehow, I think an attack on the Capitol by a small group under the direction of an elected official is not the same. Those guys should serve time even if their instigator does not. At the very least their right to own a weapon should be suspended....not that it will. Interestingly, at the time of his inauguration, President Felon cannot own a gun. Of course, now he owns an army,  but who's looking, right?

And how lucky for him! He talks about expansionism in terms we've not heard since...oh, I dunno....Putin and Ukraine? His use of the phrase Manifest Destiny, even if applied to space, should worry everyone. Not exactly  The Prime Directive.

• America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world. A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

•  And Panama's promise to us has been broken. The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form, and that includes the United States Navy. And above all, China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we're taking it back.

• Together, we will end the chronic disease epidemic and keep our children safe, healthy and disease free. The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation, one that increases our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectations and carries our flag into new and beautiful horizons. And we will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars. 

Worth mentioning...at least I think so... was statement in President Felon's address that confounded me:

After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America. Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents. Something I know something about. We will not allow that to happen. It will not happen again. Under my leadership, we will restore fair, equal and impartial justice under the Constitution and the rule of law. And we are going to bring law and order back to our cities.

This is coming from the standard bearer of the party that mounts huge challenges to books available in schools. In one breath he talks about only two genders, and the next breath he's talking about freedom of expression. Talk about cognitive dissonance. Even if he had speechwriters, we know he wanders away from the script. 

The bottom line is that you cannot trust what he says; watch what he does. When he doesn't get his way, he lashes out and changes direction. Those are gonna be the seriously scary moments. 

And I'm not even gonna mention the meme coin bitcoin bullshit that netted the Felonious family, according to some reports, billion$. I love that the first one is called $TRUMP. Kind fitting, dontcha think. A whore is a whore is a whore. 

[And update on the crypto biz from Heather Cox Richardson's Letters From An American Jan. 20, 2025...and worth noting:

The tone for the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th president of the United States at noon today was set on Friday, when Trump, who once trashed cryptocurrency as “based on thin air,” launched his own cryptocurrency. By Sunday morning it had made more than $50 billion on paper. Felix Salmon of Axios reported that “a financial asset that didn’t exist on Friday afternoon—now accounts for about 89% of Donald Trump’s net worth.” 

As Salmon noted, “The emoluments clause of the Constitution,” which prohibits any person holding a government office from accepting any gift or title from a foreign leader or government, “written in 1787, hardly envisaged a world where a president could conjure billions of dollars of wealth out of nowhere just by endorsing a meme.” Salmon also pointed out that there is no way to track the purchases of this coin, meaning it will be a way for those who want something from Trump to transfer money directly to him. 

Former Trump official Anthony Scaramucci posted that “anyone in the world can essentially deposit money” into the bank account of the president of the United States. ]

Let's leave you some enduring pictures of today's festivities:

  

Elon greets the loyal minions.

Melania in a blue Carmen Sandiego hat.
You know, of course, Carmen wears red.

Hidden message? Maaaaaybe.

And last but certainly not least....

How NOT to swear your oath of office.

Is he or isn't he president?

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Sit back, have a cuppa tea,

and figure out who you're supporting

in the midterms.